1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hunters accessories namely to a compact, lightweight, flexible disposable game carrying sled to assist hunters in transporting game from generally remote hunting locations.
2. Background Information
Game hunting is a popular recreational activity and it is the larger game animals, such as deer, antelope, moose, elk, bear, sheep, goats and the like, that receive the most attention from hunters (and of these popular game, deer represent, by far, the most popular game). These larger game animals often reside in remote areas. Hunters often travel by foot into wilderness areas to hunt big game. When the animals have been killed, there is a need to pull the animals out of these wilderness areas because many of these areas are inaccessible to vehicles, although ATVs are used to reach places which cars and trucks cannot. Trail-less areas cannot be easily reached even by ATVs. Further, select areas may be “protected” by government regulation or by property owner's requirement that will restrict or prohibit ATV access. In such situations, the harvested game is generally dressed out, or eviscerated, in the field (i.e., “field dressed”), and then towed to a road (or access area) where a vehicle may be brought in order to transport the carcass out of the area.
Transporting the game to the road, however, after it is killed and field dressed is often a major undertaking. Once the quarry is taken, there is the task of transporting the carcass back to a point that is accessible with a vehicle of some type. Often the hunter must move the quarry across rough terrain to bring it to an access point. Due to the size and weight of the medium and large game which is often hunted, and the rugged terrain over which it may be necessary to tow the harvested game, a single person may find it extremely difficult to tow an animal along the ground. Without assistance, dragging a game such as a deer presents a large amount of physical stress to the body, sometimes resulting in heart attack and death. Furthermore, the harvested animal will become dirty, battered, and torn as it is towed along. Rocks and other rough objects may tear or otherwise damage the skin.
There have been a number of devices, herein classified as Game Carriers to assist hunters in this transporting of the game and reduce the physical stress associated with transporting harvested game. The first broad category within the meaning of this patent application is a motorized self-propelled game cart, the most common example of which is an ATV with a game carrying attachment which carries both the hunter and the game. A motorized game cart need not accommodate the hunter and may be a self propelled cart. An example of such a non-passenger type motorized game cart is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,825, which is incorporated herein by reference, entitled “game sled” that uses a winch to power the game carrier and pull the game carrier over the terrain.
The second class of Game Carriers to assist hunters in the transporting of game is a game cart, namely a wheeled frame that the hunter can use to transport the game out of the remote location. Representative examples of game carts are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,260,864; 6,516,919; 5,887,676; 5,492,196; 5,433,291; 5,295,556; 4,321,982; and 3,282,375, which are incorporated herein by reference.
A third class of game carriers that can be used for midsize game (that has been long popular in Hollywood movie depictions of indigenous or primitive cultures) is a two person shouldered beam upon which the game is slung. Representative examples of this very old game carrier genre are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,497 and U.S. Patent Publication Number 2009-0233535.
This two person shouldered beam game carrier also called a sling type litter or pole litter, although the term “litter” often has the connotation of human cargo, namely wounded transport. This is similar to a kago (M) which is a Japanese type of sedan chair, suspended by a single crossbeam, carried by two men, usually used to transport one person at a time.
A fourth class of Game Carriers within the meaning of this application is a game drag, which is namely a rope or harness system that is attached to the game and with which the hunters can pull the game. The most common type of game drag is simply a length of rope that the hunter can fasten to the game in a variety of attachment techniques. Representative examples of game drags are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,889,882; 6,755,454; 6,457,763; 6,129,399; 6,089,636; 5,848,816; 5,145,224; 5,029,921; 4,431,121; 3,346,154; 3,077,292; 3,038,644 and 2,592,771 which are incorporated herein by reference.
A final class of Game Carriers within the meaning of this application is a game carrying sled (also called a game skid or “game sled” as noted in the '825 patent discussed above which is classified above as a “motorized game cart” as it is a self-propelled game carrying sled). This is the grouping of Game Carriers in which the present invention is classified, and is generally a device upon which the game is supported and the sled is pulled along the ground. A game drag can be used with a game carrying sled with the game drag attached to the sled or the game. Consequently some game sleds incorporate a game drag into the system.
A very old form or game carrying sled, or general pack sled, is called a travois. A travois is a form of sled made by fastening two long poles together over the back of a horse or dog (or ATV or human), then building a platform near where they drag to support game or any cargo.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,456, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a game carrying sled including a flexible panel of slippery material fitted with a game drag included with both shoulder straps and hand straps used to drag game from a hunting area. A similar portable game carrying sled with a flexible sheet with a rope handle game drag is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,808, which is incorporated herein by reference.
A portable sled for transporting injured persons or animals is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,393 and is formed of a rolled plastic sheet. U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,427 shows a game carrying sled that includes a fixed frame sled with hold down straps and game drag pulling straps affixed to the front of the sled for pulling an animal secured to the sled. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,283,068; 4,335,891 and 3,222,080 disclose hard frame game carrying sleds for transporting game animals (or injured individuals).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,823, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a game carrying sled with a flexible sheet or body that is wrapped around an animal carcass to allow the carcass to slip over the terrain with minimal friction when the game dragged head first.
An ornamental design for a game carrying sled is disclosed in the 1993 U.S. Design Pat. No. D334,093 showing a rigid sled structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,698, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a collapsible game carrying sled which includes a rigid peripheral frame with a flexible sheet secured there over.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,547,024, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a game carrying sled which includes a polymer sheet formed with eyelets to permit the attachment of straps to fix the carcass to the top surface of the sheet. The polymer sheet is configured to be rolled for storage in a quiver and wherein in use the quiver is placed at the front edge of the sheet to stiffen and round the front edge so as to form a toboggan and game drag attachment point.
The above described rigid or frame sled structures are rather large and add to the overall cost of the device and to the bulk which must be carried into hunting areas by the hunters. The relatively high cost, excess weight, and bulky nature is believed to minimize the commercial success and consumer acceptance of these solutions.
Even the flexible game carrying sled structures disclosed above are difficult to carry into the remote areas in spite of the fact that they may be rolled up into a cylindrical package as shown with the '024 patent design. The '823 design represents a more flexible design than much of the prior art, but even this design is difficult to form into a compact lightweight structure that hunters are willing to carry with them into the woods. Furthermore none of these designs can be manufactured sufficiently inexpensively to effectively form a disposable game carrying sled.
There remains a need in the art to develop a compact, light weight disposable game carrying sled.